


Racing Heart

by Tiaralie



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: "The Racers" AU, And we're back with the subakoga agenda, Dating, First Dates, M/M, Subaru doesn't know what a present is, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiaralie/pseuds/Tiaralie
Summary: [Based on "The Racers" set from CNstars]"You'll get me a present, riiiiight~ ?"To be fair, none of them really had a clear idea of what this "present" was going to be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> haha racing puns amirite
> 
> So The Racers set on CN is a thing and I. Did a thing
> 
> Anyways I'm back on my bs, enjoy
> 
> EDIT : did I actually forgot the summary oh my god I'm dumb

The flashing lights kept on illuminating the screen, keeping everyone in the stadium on edge, at a loss for words regarding what was actually happening. The cars crossed the finish line at alarming speed, becoming nothing more than colored flashes to human eyes. Out of all of them, only one managed to catch everyone's attention; the winner, the one that finished first. No one could really believe it, and no one wanted to believe it. Because absolutely no one ever thought he could win. Everyone was whispering, refusing to accept what was before their eyes, completely bewildered.

Koga almost felt ashamed to be part of this crowd. All this time, he kept on pushing him away, telling him to do things properly, claiming he was just a huge waste of potential, that he would never reach greater heights if he didn't at least try a little bit. But he believed, he really did.

Deep down, he really trusted the boy whose name was shining in big letters on the black screen. Akehoshi Subaru.

When he got out of his car, his sweating face projected on the wide screen of the stadium, everyone stayed silent. People whispered, glared at him with disdain, but nobody cheered.

Koga could see him shake, and he didn't want to know if it was because of the intense effort he made, or because he was about to cry. He hoped it was the former, because honestly this wasn't the right time to break down.

Eagerly, Subaru's eyes searched for something around the stadium. When his gaze locked with Koga’s, the boy's eyes started shining, sparkling, and Koga felt like the crowd around him disappeared, like it was only the two of them. He could see the small tear forming in the corner in his eyes, how hard he was trying to suppress it.

Akehoshi was the real deal, and Koga was sure of it.

 

                           ~~~

 

“What the actual fuck, you dumbass?!” Koga yelled in the racer’s face once they were outside, attracting everyone's attention.

Akehoshi tilted his head to the side, looking as clueless as always. He didn't respond, but Koga knew that a “what do you mean?” would come out of his mouth anytime from now.

“Your ‘speech’. Earlier.” Could he even call that a speech? That was way too nice of him to qualify _that_ a speech.

All he did was taking the mic and screaming “I told you, Gami-san~!” to some thousands of people. This was not a speech, this was just Akehoshi being annoying and embarrassing, as usual. Koga could feel his blood boil. He was already very embarrassed when he called him by this stupid nickname in front of everyone…he even heard people snicker around him.

“I just said what was on my mind… I _did_ tell you after all~!” he winked playfully and giggled at his face, and somehow it made everything worse. Koga’s heart raced faster for a bit, but quickly calmed down.

Before the race, Subaru had called him all night to talk about the _Big Day_ . And, as the conversation went on (the dumbass didn't want to end the goddamn call) they wandered off to some _‘what ifs’._ And, well, Akehoshi being Akehoshi, he asked if Koga could offer him a gift if he was to win.

He refused (of course he did) but the other insisted so much on how it would be a great motivation factor, he gave up, not without adding a remark about how he wouldn't make it.

His night ended as Akehoshi yelled “I'll win, you'll see!” before ending the call.

So yeah. Not the greatest night he ever had.

 

And he didn't expect to wake up to the words “Think about the present~!” written on his screen.

So now, he had a problem. Because first, Akehoshi won the race, and two, he now had to find him a present.

And third… he had no idea what to give him. He wasn't even expecting him to take this seriously. But again, this was Akehoshi, of course he would take this seriously!

“So uuuuuh~” the racer started, tiptoeing his way closer to Koga. “What's my present?”

He seemed happy. Fuck!

“Sh-shut up, asshole! I wasn't even serious!” Koga stepped back, waving his hands to make him reluctant to contact.

“Owwwww…” Subaru pouted. _Oh no_. “Gami-san, you meanie! I won this race, you could at least give me a little something~!”

In a way, he was right. This was not very nice of him to just do nothing after such an important race. He was almost guaranteed to go to the championships now.

So Koga thought. Very hard. He didn't want to search for a gift for Akehoshi, let alone give it to him!

In that case, he might as well just try the opposite.

“Alright, dumbass!” he sighed deeply, already regretting a lot of his life choices at the moment. “Just choose somethin’, I'll get it for ya.”

Subaru's eyes sparkled, and he started jumping around, taking a hold of Koga’s arm. “Yahoo, thank you Gami-san~!”

“Yeah, yeah, stop that already!” the boy tried to shake Subaru off of him, but ultimately had to give up. Experience was telling him that when Akehoshi was clinging to him, he was stuck like glue.

 

And the next day, everything went to shit.

                             ~~~

Koga woke up to the sound of his cell phone beeping like crazy.

Opening his eyes and trying to push Leon out of his way, he grabbed it in his hand and lazily checked who was calling him this early on a Saturday morning.

The name that appeared on screen made him want to throw the phone across the room. Akehoshi. Oh fuck, he feared it already. What was he going to ask now?

 

He inhaled and tapped the ‘answer call’ button. “What.” he could hear a giggle on the other side of the line.

“Hiiiiii~! Gami-san, I found a present!” The boy sounded extatic, a state he couldn't say he shared.

“What is it?” Better settle it now, so he could buy it and be done with it.

“Uuuuh…” Akehoshi hesitated. Clearly he didn't think this through. “You…?”

 

Koga’s entire body shivered, and by some unknown reaction of his body, he was now standing as straight as a stick. “... WHAT?” Couldn't he phrase it otherwise? It sounded so… _No_!

“I mean...” Akehoshi tried to remain in control of his speech, and rephrase it as best as he could. “I mean, I want to go on a date with you!”

“A _what_ .” The only word he got out of this was _date_ , and it was about the only thing his brain wanted to remember, as the letters kept on echoing in his head, making it worse with every occurrence. He just had so much questions, but only one was willing to come out.

“Why?”

 

“Because I want to? This is the only thing I really want right now, so pleeeeeeease?”

Was he making the pouty face? He was definitely making the pouty face. He could sense it through the phone over the silence. Making him put up with this kind of bullshit… This was so unfair! Plus, there was no way Akehoshi was going to let go or even accept ‘no’ without whining.

 

Koga sighed, bracing for the storm. “If I say yes, you'll never ask me for anything ever again, okay?”

There was no response for an instant, but Koga could swear he was hearing squeals away from the phone. _What the hell is he doing?_

Finally, Akehoshi’s voice was heard again. “Sure, sure~! Soooo, today, at 2 P.M? At the park?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Just before the call ended, he heard the beginning of a very high-pitched scream at the other side of the line. Then it was back to the usual dead silence of his room.

 

Koga didn't know what he had planned today. But he was certain that none of his possible original plans involved Akehoshi.

And now? He was stuck with the most unexpected option.

The “date with Akehoshi” option.

With some thinking, it was better than buying him some stupid crap, right?

_Right?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done h-
> 
> Part of me isn't fully satisfied, but at the same time I'm tired, so idk what to think  
> At first I wanted to do something simple but my brain was like "I'm gonna stop you right there" 
> 
> Enjoy

The sun was way too bright today. People in the streets looked happier than usual. There were birds chirping left and right. Today seemed like a perfect day, much to Koga’s dismay. Because, on this seemingly perfect day, he was going on dreaded event… a date.

_Date, date, date_. No matter how much he repeated it, it still sounded horrible and wrong. Seeing Akehoshi’s face invading his head along with the word wasn't helping his case either.

Since they agreed on this, so many questions kept on popping up in his mind. Why did he ask for a date, of all things? Why didn't he ask for one of those shiny things he liked so much?

Why did he want to go out with _him_?

And then his brain went to a place he didn't like at all, because it was the very dangerous ‘what if’ place. So many ‘what ifs’ in his mind. One, in particular, retained his full attention.

What if Akehoshi liked him? What if he was in love with him?

 

Koga unconsciously sped up his pace. A date. Wasn't this usually seen as a romantic thing? Then maybe it was true. Maybe Akehoshi liked him. He didn't know what to do with this information. Also his heart felt weird. Racing too fast again.

 

Taking a deep breath, he chose to ignore it when he arrived at the park. No matter if Akehoshi was in love with him or not, he was going to regret this day either way.

His eyes going through the numerous people present at the park today, he searched for a pile of orange hair in the crowd. Koga arrived at the center, a perplex look on his face. Nowhere to be seen. He did get the time right, though. Was this dumbass late…?

 

A pair of unknown arms embraced him from behind, almost making him lose his balance. “Boo~!” The voice was cheerful, too cheerful, followed by a giggle and genuine laughter. _Akehoshi_.

Koga wanted to turn around and yell at him (because what else was he supposed to do?), but the racer didn't want to move or even let go. “Gami-san is so waaaaarm~! Can you take me on your back?”

 

“Aaaaah, stop that! Get off me!” he forcefully grabbed Akehoshi’s hands and got them away from his chest.

When he turned around, he was put face to face with a pouting Akehoshi…

… Or so he assumed. His expression was hard to tell or describe, for the simple reason that there were sunglasses and a mask covering everything. The cap on his head completed the set.

“You look… Ridiculous.” Koga stated, not even knowing if ‘ridiculous’ was the right term to use. He looked like he was about to go rob a bank or something.

“It's for safety reasons!” Akehoshi put a finger in front of his mouth, and a smile could be seen through the mask. Also he was definitely winking. The sunglasses made it hard to tell, but it was a sure value. “I'm undercover!”

“Yeah, you look suspicious as hell.” Koga sighed and kept his eyes on the mask. Oh how he wanted to tear it off.

His hand moved almost on its own, guiding the mask off of Subaru's face. “Get that thing off!”

 

And now he could see the pouty face in its full glory again, how very delightful.

“Ooooh, I see! It's easier to kiss without the mask~!” The sparkling boy sheepishly said, bringing his face closer to Koga’s.

“H-hey! Stop, stop, get away!” _Date, date_. The words echoed again as he slammed his palm against the other's lips. The situation was the same as usual, their relationship hasn't changed, but somehow his body was filled with heat at the mention of the kiss.

 

“Ooookay~!” Subaru laughed it off and took advantage of Koga’s embarrassment to grab his hand before he could react. “Time to go then, yahoo~!”

“Where are you taking me?” Frankly he was more annoyed than angry, mainly because he couldn't think straight at the moment. He was too tired to yell at him.

“Surprise, surprise~ !”

 

Akehoshi guided him through the infinite sea of people that formed the park today. The dumbass sure chose the right day to go out; no one would ever notice them in that crowd. Koga analyzed Akehoshi again, with a different angle this time. His whole attire was one typically made to hide one's identity. At first it seemed foolish, but now that he thought about it, going out in the streets the day after winning a big race wasn't the most brilliant idea. Especially since the public decided to hate him, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he came out of nowhere, and suddenly soared to the top…

Or maybe it was because of his name.

Some newspaper titles appeared in his mind, invaded his memory. _“Worldwide racer Akehoshi dies from bad conditions in prison.”_ , _“Akehoshi’s death: Return on the racer’s criminal history.”_

It was nothing to be proud of. Nothing to brag about. Subaru hated and avoided the subject like the plague, and ignored every reference people could throw at him.

He could have been the son of a famous racer, but as of now the world only knew him as the son of a criminal.

 

A squeeze on his hand brought Koga back on track. His eyes made contact with Subaru's sunglasses. The boy was bouncing up and down, obviously very excited about his little idea (whatever it was). They were standing in front of a café with a shiny and polished wooden door. How and when they got here was a mystery, but at least now he knew what was in store for today.

_Hold up_.

They were going to enter a _café_ , while _holding hands_ , on an event labeled as a _date_.

_Oh no_.

“So that's where you wanna go.” Koga tried to hide his internal conflict, looking about everywhere around him, fixing everything that wasn't Akehoshi.

“Mhm~!” The racer joyfully nodded. “Their food is really good! They make amazing crepes!” He pulled Koga along with him as he pushed the door, the sound of a bell ringing in his ear.

 

Koga only groaned and agreed to try the crepes. There was no harm in tasting good food, and if he was lucky enough, eating would spare them any need for conversation.

The place wasn't very crowded, which meant less chances of getting recognized. Subaru approached the counter still holding Koga’s hand. He wasn't inclined to let go of it, no matter how much Koga tried to slip through.

“Hello~ !” The sparkling boy hummed to the waiter. “Could we-”

“-All I'm saying is, last race was absolute nonsense!”

Just as an unknown voice rose in the place, Subaru's sentence got lost in his throat and he couldn't find the strength to speak. Koga on the other hand hurriedly turned his head to see a couple in their thirties enjoying some desserts at a table near the entrance. The man, with his arms crossed on his chest, just spoke his _opinion_ on yesterday's race. It just had to be there and now, huh?

 

“You should let it go.” The woman, who was certainly his wife, tried to calm him down as she took a sip of her drink. “This kid won't go much further. He'll crack from all the pressure before you know it.”

Were they talking about Akehoshi? They were, weren't they? Just who did they think they were, insulting him like this? Koga’s entire body was screaming and pushing him to go up to these two and tell them a piece of his mind.

Luckily for him and for the café’s overall reputation, Akehoshi’s grip on his hand tightened, urging him to stay by his side rather than causing a ruckus and ruining the day even more than it was already.

Akehoshi’s face was still facing the counter, small sounds escaping from his mouth before he could make a coherent sentence.

“Sorry~!” He excused himself to the waiter before turning to Koga with a smile too big to be genuine. “Gami-san, let's go elsewhere!”

 

Koga’s brows furrowed when he noticed the small tear forming in the corner of his eye. Just like at the race. He was trying to suppress it again. Everyone's words mattered a lot more than he might have initially thought. Being associated to someone else no matter how hard you try, being reminded past mistakes… This wasn't how Akehoshi’s life should have gone. He should already be considered a great racer by now, no one should be doubting his talents. But one thing kept pushing him back.

 

The orange-haired boy didn't wait for approval and got them both out of the café in the blink of an eye. Akehoshi didn't look back and only fastened his pace as they got away from the café’s doors. His eyes were fixed on the ground, he didn't want to look up.

“Akehoshi.” Koga’s voice made itself loud to par with the crowds noise.

No response. He'd have to try harder.

“Akehoshi!” Louder, this time. The racer abruptly stopped, and Koga took this opportunity to pull on the hand that was holding his own. He turned Akehoshi around and grabbed him by the shoulders.

 

“Sorry Gami-san, but don't worry, there's another place we can go to! It's all good!” Sunglasses were in the way of his expression, but anyone could tell he was holding back tears.

“...Holy shit, you're stupid.” Koga said, not being able to say anything else. How long was he going to hide like this? He groaned and approached his hands to the racer’s attire.

“Gami-sa-”

“Shut up, just… Get that off.” Even with Akehoshi’s whining, he managed to get the sunglasses and cap off his head. “There.”

 

Subaru ran his hand through his now fully visible orange hair and sniffled a few times. He couldn't hide his tears anymore.

“If you continue pretending that you're alright, I'm really going to smack your head!” Koga angrily gritted his teeth at Subaru's face, gripping the boy's cheeks with one hand. “Get yourself together, dammit!”

He squeezed the other's cheeks, provoking a high-pitched squeal from his mouth. He almost sounded like a puppy, which, to be honest, was kind of cute.

“Not everyone is against you! You're a good racer, you win, you're going to the _championships_ , don't you think that proves your worth already?! You're not your dad!”

 

_You're not your dad_. This statement alone lifted Subaru's head up in a split second, and in and instant his eyes were shining again, full of hope. This got Koga to open his eyes wide and take a step back. This look wasn't always a good omen. Not for him, at least.

 

Out of nowhere, Akehoshi let out a loud laugh and took some heavy breaths to let go of his conflicting thoughts. The crowd around them gave them some looks, but he didn't care anymore.

“Thanks, Gami-san.” That was all, just these words were enough to make Koga’s heart race again. This was starting to be annoying, really.

“D-don’t go around thinking weird things! It's not like I-”

His sentence was cut off by a very quick Akehoshi, who immediately hugged him in the middle of the street. “Gami-san really can't be honest, huh? It's mean, you know~? Telling me all these things and then backing out… You're so mean, Gami-san!”

“What the hell are you saying?”

“Owww, you're unfair again, Gami-san!”

 

What was even happening right now. Koga couldn't tell if Akehoshi was just being stupid, or if he was somehow trying some reverse psychology with his brain. Wait, no, the latter was way too advanced for him.

After some more nonsense, he decided to give it up. “You know what? You're better, let's say it's what counts.”

He wasn't even lying. If he learned something from his past experiences, it was that a sad Akehoshi is somehow worse than a happy Akehoshi.

Now, they could both go home and forget everything ever happened.

Or, you know, not do that.

“Mhm...but I really wanted to go on a date with you, Gami-san.” He seemed disappointed. Oh no. He was going to make the pouty face again.

Koga tried to look away, but still spoke his mind. “W-well…” He couldn't believe the words that were about to get out of his mouth. “If you win the next race...maybe we can go on another date. Maybe.”

He was supposed to regret saying this, and still it was the opposite. He felt good about it, and a weird sensation was quickly invading his stomach.

He faced Subaru to see him holding back his excitement, his arms and legs already bouncing furiously. “Really? Really, really? Gami-san, does that mean you like me too~?”

_What_. What did he mean by ‘liking him’? And why adding a ‘too’? Was this a confession? Did Akehoshi just confess to him in the middle of the street?

Now what was there to respond? His mind was all fuzzy and each word could turn out wrong if he didn't pay enough attention. This shouldn't be so hard, dammit!

“I don't know what you mean! I just… think I'll need some more dates to find out…”

Subaru let out a loud gasp and jumped right into Koga’s arms, yelling his thanks for everyone to hear. He wasn't being subtle, and maybe he didn't want to be.

Koga thought about his ‘what ifs’ again. Maybe Akehoshi was in love with him, and in that case, he'll have to give him a proper answer sooner or later.

...maybe later was the best option. Just so he could find the right answer. Yes, because he wasn't _in love_ with Akehoshi or anything!

Still, the way the boy was hugging him right now wasn't despicable, far from it.

Koga couldn't find a right answer right now, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted Akehoshi to win the next race.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that this one's done, I'll go work on some other subakoga related thing like... Idk man I just wanna write subakoga
> 
> Thanks for reading~

**Author's Note:**

> R I G H T??
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoyed it?? New chapter coming....... Soon  
> Also I guess you can check out my Twitter (@TiaralieLilac) I post dumb subakoga stuff and scream  
> I just want to talk with fellow subakoga shippers


End file.
